Design Cybernetics: Navigating the NewDesign cybernetics offers a way of looking at ourselves -
curious creative and ethical humans - as self-organising systems that negotiate their own
goals in open-ended explorations of the previously unknown. It is a theory of and for epistemic
practices (learning designing researching) that is deeply committed to the autonomy of others
and hence offers no prescriptive methodology. Design cybernetics describes design practice as
inextricable from conversation - a way of enquiring developing shared understanding and
reaching the new that harnesses reliable control as well as error and serendipity. Recognising
circular causality observer-dependency and non-determinability design cybernetics extends
beyond tenets of scientific research into the creative ethical and aesthetic domain. From this
perspective design is not an ill-conceived subset of scientific research. Instead scientific
research emerges as a particularly restricted subset of the broader human activity of
design.This volume offers a cross-section of design cybernetic theory and practice with
contributions ranging across architecture interior lighting studies product design embedded
systems design pedagogy design theory social transformation design research epistemology
art and poetics as well as theatre and acting. Addressing designers design educators and
researchers interested in a rigorous practice-based epistemology it establishes design
cybernetics as a foundational perspective of design research. This is a conceptually elegant
well structured and comprehensive presentation of design cybernetics. It fills a gap in the
literature of the field.Ken Friedman Chair Professor Tongji University This book offers a
valuable and timely introduction to second-order cybernetics as society grapples with complex
issues like climate change and rising inequality.Joichi Ito Director of the MIT Media Lab
